The present invention relates to an improved racket weighting means and more particularly to a device for use with any existing racket having a shaft with a throat connected to a frame during warm-up, practice, or actual play in sports such as tennis, badminton, squash or the like to provide means for temporarily adding supplemental weight to the racket in order to develop a better shot by strengthening the critical parts of the arm.
Specific weight training programs have been utilized for many years to strengthen the critical parts of the body for a wide variety of sports. Initially, such programs included the use of weights independent of participation in a particular sport. Subsequently, weighted sports equipment was developed and weight training programs included the use of such equipment during warm-up, practice or actual play in a particular sport. Weighted baseball bats, golf clubs and tennis rackets have all been used for this purpose with a considerable degree of success. While the use of weights independent of participation has been found to be effective to generally strengthen the body, the use of weighted sports equipment during warm-up, practice or actual play has been found to be effective to specifically strengthen the critical parts of the body for a particular sport.
Weighted sports equipment has taken many forms. In its most basic form, such equipment has included a baseball player swinging two or three bats during warm-up prior to practice or actual play. Also, such equipment has included devices such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,608,409; 3,608,907; 3,647,220; and, 3,716,239 which are designed to add weight to the shaft of a golf club during warm-up, practice or actual play. Finally, such equipment has included devices such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,186,283; 2,395,864; 2,546,140; 3,330,560; and 3,642,283 designed to add weight to the frame or shaft of a tennis racket during warm-up, practice or actual play.
While these examples of weighted sports equipment recognize the desirability of the use of such equipment for a wide variety of sports, the improved racket weighting means of the present invention provides a significant advance over all of such prior art devices.